Jean Kennedy Smith
![Kennedy {{circa|1953}}](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Jean_Kennedy_c1953.jpg)
As Ambassador to Ireland, Smith was instrumental in the Northern Ireland peace process as President Bill Clinton's representative in Dublin. She was heavily criticized after urging the U.S. State Department to grant a visa to Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, although her family said this step influenced the Provisional IRA in its declaration of a ceasefire in 1994. However, Adams has said it was President Clinton who led the Northern Ireland peace process, and that during the process, Smith relied on advice from an influential Belfast priest. President of Ireland Mary McAleese conferred honorary Irish citizenship on Smith in 1998, in recognition of her service to the country.
Smith was the founder of Very Special Arts (VSA), an internationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to creating a society where people with disabilities can engage with the arts. In 2011, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President Barack Obama for her work with VSA and with people with disabilities. Provided by Wikipedia
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3by Lima Luisa, Kuttschreuter Margôt, Fletcher Jon, Verbeke Wim, Shepherd Richard, Raats Monique, Kennedy Jean, McConnon Aine, Barnett Julie, Wills Josephine, Wall PatrickGet full text
Published 2011-05-01
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